FBI rescues missing Ohio teen in Florida after search for accused kidnapper
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
SPECIAL: A 16-year-old girl who had been missing for nearly a month was safely recovered following a multi-state investigation that led to the arrest of multiple suspected kidnappers, the FBI told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
The victim was reportedly found in a hotel room near Jacksonville, Florida, last Friday after being reported missing in Ohio on February 16.
Investigators identified the suspect as a Tennessee man named Negron, whose charges are currently pending. Agents also determined that Negron was linked to a separate potential kidnapping in 2024 in which he allegedly transported a 17-year-old Texas girl for sexual activity.
Friday’s arrest was the second successful takedown of an alleged child sexual abuser in just a week, the agency said.
FORMER SUBSTRATE TEACHER AND HER BOYFRIEND FACED GENDER FEE FOR 38 CHILDREN FOR NEARLY 9 MILLION
The FBI said multiple field officers were coordinating a multi-state kidnapping investigation into a 17-year-old girl from Ohio. (Getty Images)
FBI Director Kash Patel praised the operation, which was coordinated across multiple field offices along with local police and the elite Hostage Rescue Team. He added that protecting children from violent criminals was a top priority and that the teams were “undoubtedly saving lives”.
“This case is the FBI’s best work with our great local partners: moving quickly, using elite technology capabilities, and deploying the best tactical units to find the alleged kidnapper and quite possibly save the life of a young girl,” Patel said in a statement. he said.
“Protecting children from violent criminals has been this FBI’s top priority since the beginning, and our teams continue to do it every day, all over the country. Our Cincinnati, Nashville, and Jacksonville field offices, working with local partners, and our incredible Hostage Rescue Team did outstanding work on this case and undoubtedly saved lives.”
FBI TARGETS DANGEROUS ONLINE ‘764’ NETWORKS INCLUDING AFFILIATES ALLEGEDLY TRAINING CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS AS 11 YEARS OLD
A missing 16-year-old boy from Ohio was safely recovered in Jacksonville, Florida, after a month-long search and investigation. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The girl, from Colerain Township, Ohio, was found after investigators located and tracked down Negron, federal authorities said.
While a search warrant at Negron’s Tennessee home last Friday revealed that the suspect had already fled, law enforcement was able to track the suspect’s whereabouts and vehicle to Palatka, Florida, later that morning.
Negron was later arrested and the girl was reportedly found safe in a nearby hotel room.
Charges against Negron are currently pending. Federal officials said the digital evidence is under review, but no child sexual abuse material has been identified at this time.
FBI INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 350 MATTERS LINKED TO VIOLENT ONLINE ‘764’ NETWORK
During the investigation, agents also discovered Negron was connected to an incident in 2024 involving a 17-year-old boy from Texas.
At the time, he was allegedly involved in two previous roadblock incidents with local law enforcement. A shotgun was found in the home of the man, who was also accused of making threatening statements towards officers.
The rest of Negron’s criminal history includes domestic misdemeanor charges of theft, trespassing, criminal mischief and possession of marijuana, the FBI said.
The local district attorney did not file criminal charges at the time of the 2024 incident.
The FBI said it met with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio on Tuesday to discuss potential federal charges related to the alleged transportation of a minor for sexual activity linked to the 16-year-old victim.
Kash Patel appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Thursday, January 30, 2025. (AP)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
After his arrest in Jacksonville, Negron was extradited back to Tennessee.
The FBI emphasized that its field offices coordinated seamlessly to eliminate allegations of child sexual abuse for the second time in just a week.
The previous case, in which a 13-year-old child and a 7-month-old infant were rescued, involved coordination between Buffalo and Charlotte field offices.
